General Union of the Workers of Guadeloupe (UGTG)

Flag of UGTG - Image by Chrystian Kretowicz, 16 March 2009

UGTG (Union Générale de Travailleurs de Guadeloupe - Unyon Général a Travayé Gwadloup) was founded as a centrale syndicale (umbrella organization
grouping several branch labor unions) at Baie-Mahault on 2 December
1973 by independentist militants. UGTG is today the main labor
organization in Guadeloupe, with some 52% of the votes gathered in the
last labor unions elections.

While UGTG is a main component of the LKP collective, the organizer of
the social movement in Guadeloupe in spring 2009, its flag does not seem to have been used in the recent demonstrations. It is widely used, however, with some colour variations, on T-shirts.

The drum shown the flag is a ka, a central symbol of the Guadelupian identity. The ka (with several variants) is the only instrument played in the gwoka music, which evolved from traditional African rythms brought by the slaves from West Africa in the 18th century to a music specific of the island, made of seven codified rtyhms. In the
plantations, the gwoka was used to punctuate all the events of the
daylife. The drumming, sometimes used as the sign of the revolt,
scared so much the planters that some of them banned the drums, which
were then replaced by rythmic songs called boulagel.